


The Settlement in the North

by itendswithz



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Flower Crowns, Fluff and Angst, General Derek Hale, Hale Empire, Lord Stiles, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Mentions of Slavery, Misunderstandings, Multi, Short Chapters, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2017-12-29 14:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itendswithz/pseuds/itendswithz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With one last settlement left, Derek Hale is ready to end the war with the Argents. But when he reaches the village's gates he's not ready for children to hand him flower crowns and certainly isn't ready to meet Lord Stiles Stilinski.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Derek Hale relishes the taste of Kate Argent’s blood as he rips her throat out. Her eyes shutter as the last of her blood drains, staining the bedroom floor. Not that it matters, no werewolf would never degrade themselves to live in a place an Argent has touched. When the workers from the Empire arrive, they’ll tear the wretched building down.

The alpha wipes the blood off his lips and chin before looking down at the dead woman. With the last of the Argents dead, he knows this horrible war will come to an end. Seven years of fighting and it’s finally over. But the victory is short-lived; Derek has lost too much because of the hunter scum. His mother, father, aunt, baby brother and younger cousins all lost when an assassin had set fire to Hale castle. Derek is sure that Kate’s “peace” visits the year before had only been the true start to this war. If only he hadn’t been enamored by her false beauty.

Shaking his head, he thinks of more recent losses: two of his betas. Erica and Boyd have gone missing after they were ambushed in the Northern territory. There’s been no trace of them at any Argent stronghold and now that the last of them has been seized, Derek fears he’s lost his betas for good. 

He stands and stretches his back and rolls his shoulders, retracting his claws and fangs. The knowledge that he’ll have to be the one to tell Lord Reyes and Lady Boyd that their children are now with the Mother Moon adds an unexpected weight on his soul. One that he’ll carry forever because he was the alpha that failed them, he was the one charged with protecting his friends and because of his misstep they paid the price.

He hears footsteps and turns to the door ripped from its hinges. The Argent witch had thought she could hide behind wood, as if Derek wasn’t strong enough to achieve justice. Cora Hale, his younger sister and the alpha leading the army, enters the room. Her eyes land on the dead body at Derek’s feet before she makes eye contact.

“So it’s done.” It should be a question. It isn’t.

Derek just grunts his agreement. He doesn’t trust himself to speak without snarling. And he never wants to fight with what little family he has left.

There’s a heavy silence and Derek knows Cora wants to say something. He looks at her and bares his neck slightly, signaling that he’s ready for whatever order she’s about to give. Cora responds by relaxing her shoulders and pulling her hair out of a tight bun. Her midnight black hair tumbles down, reminding him of tree branches collapsing to the ground.

“Isaac discovered the location of another stronghold,” Cora says, voice devoid of emotion. “To the North, near the border of the Wildlands. According to the records, it’s a tiny settlement, suspected to have fewer than 100 humans. Take your pack, scout ahead and conquer it. Kill their warriors, then bundle whatever livestock and useable humans they have.”

Cora lets her eyes flash red before continuing. “Laura says that when you’re done, the Lord of the Manor is yours to have.”

Derek snaps his head up and he locks eye with his sister. Laura giving him a Lord is a sign of respect, a declaration that Derek has served the Hale Empire well and lets him know that the settlement will be abandoned. His wolf howls at the compliment and the understanding that he’ll have his own personal slave.

Before the war, the Hales would never have allowed slavery within their borders. But as the battles progressed, they realized that instead of slaughtering all the humans, their bodies could be more useful alive than dead. Soon, the people of this horrid land became spoils of war along with their cows.

Derek doesn’t even try to contain his grin. He lets the wolf rein free and he knows he looks as predatory as he truly is.


	2. Chapter 2

It takes five days of nonstop marching, but Derek can finally see the beginnings of a fenced in civilization. It’s just a smudge on the horizon, but Derek flags his betas down and they rest for the night. Isaac cuddles into Scott while Jackson keeps watch. His pack has been through this many times in the past and they all have a system.

Scott and Isaac will confirm their love for each other again; Jackson will whisper self-assurances to himself; Erica would have told Boyd horrible puns and her mate would chuckle darkly, and Derek will sleep with his claws out. He’s not going to risk anything, but he knows that nothing helps a warrior in battle more than a good night’s sleep. A fire is too risky, so they puppy pile until the sun begins to rise. 

When they wake, each wolf dresses in light cotton clothe before strapping on his armor, black plates that move with their shifts and painted with red triskeles. With the bright orb just peeking over the horizon, they start the walk towards the wooden fence. Derek can already tell that this place will fall easily. 

As they near the entrance, the front gate swings open and Derek braces himself. He assumed the place was defenseless but he knows humans have no honor and will use whatever tricks they might have. He lets his claws slide out but is stunned when he sees two children, a boy and a girl in yellow tunics, run out laughing.

The kids run right to Scott and Isaac, waving something black and willowy in air. Derek stares at it until he realizes that it’s…flower crowns! The cubs stop in front of the two betas and present the crowns with as much seriousness children under 10 can muster. 

“Now kids,” a light voice says. “What do you say? We practiced this.” Derek turns to the source of the voice to see that three other people have left the compound. A young man, barely in his adulthood. He’s standing tall and looking at the youngsters with something akin to pride. His knee length white tunic only makes his pale skin shine in the bright morning sunlight and he’s hosting a small smile. 

Next to him is a petite red head that looks innocent but Derek’s wolf senses power radiating from her. Her hands are clasped in front of her light pink full body tunic and she’s smirking at the man. It reminds Derek of how Laura used to look at him when he was a teenager, growing into his claws.

The final person is a black-hair beauty with a crossbow slung around her shoulders. She’s at least a foot taller than the red head but has one arm wrapped around the short woman’s waist. She’s wearing some leather armor of sorts that covers her body without hindering her actions. She looks like she’s trying to contain a laugh but for the life of him Derek can’t find the joke.

“Mis-ster Wolf,” the girl stutters. “We wel-welcome you to the… the fester!” She thrusts the flower crown into Isaac’s hand and runs back to the man. The little boy just throws his at Scott and hurries back to the taller woman.

“The festival. Not the fester. The festival,” the man laughs. He looks like he’s talking to Derek but he’s not making eye contact. He leans down to eye level with the girl before speaking, “Talia,” Derek feels his ears perk at his mother’s name, “go get the other crowns. There are two Wolves without flowers. We don’t want them feeling left out, do we?” His voice is soft, not berating but expecting the command to be followed.

The girl shakes her head rapidly before rushing back into the village, the boy chasing after her. 

The man stands and makes eye contact with Derek for a second before he focuses over the werewolf’s right shoulder. “Welcome Alpha General!” 

Derek can hear the smile in his voice even if he couldn’t see it stretched wide on his face. “I’m Lord Stiles Stilinski,” he motions to himself in a practiced gesture. “This is Lady Lydia Martin, my most trusted advisor,” he motions to the little woman standing next to him. “And this is Lady Allison Martin, Captain of the guard,” he points to the only other person outside. 

“And this is Beacon,” he spread his arms wide as if to indicate the fenced in area. Derek can’t see anything over the high walls, but the fence is made of wood and rock. Easily defeated by an alpha like Derek. “We are honored to have an Alpha and his pack join us for the Moon Awaking Festival.”

Stiles then locks eyes with Derek again, and Derek gets lost in the honey warm eyes full of happiness and the promise of adventure before the human bares his neck completely.

Derek’s wolf, which had been tense and near the surface for the whole exchange, is thrilled with the easy submission of someone so attractive and he can’t stop the howl that erupts from the base of his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I'm working on this, I going to try to work on my Slave Stiles Hale series, but I need a beta for that. I've hit a wall I can't overcome. Is anyone able to help? I just need to shoot some ideas off of you. If so, please comment or message me on [Tumblr ](itendswithz.tumblr.com).


	3. Chapter 3

Derek’s victory howl fades and the alpha looks to see the humans’ reactions. He’s surprised to find Stiles beaming, as if getting Derek to howl is somehow a treat. Lydia is smirking, her face clearly saying she’s going to mock Stiles for his over-happiness and Allison has broken out her own megawatt smile, her face dimpling prettily. 

He takes a step forward but he feels Jackson’s hand clamp onto his arm. He looks at his betas and while Scott and Isaac are smiling, looking at the flower crowns with glee, Jackson’s eyes are flashing bright blue. “It’s too easy,” he shakes his head a little.

Derek feels his face harden and he reminds himself that these are humans. They cannot be trusted. The alpha turns and prepares to glare the trio into a proper submission but Stiles is talking before he gets the chance.

“We’re excited to have you, but I’m sure you want to see the Wolves we have and probably want to rest before moonrise tomorrow night.”

“Wolves? You have werewolves here?” Derek asks, mind jumping onto the idea that he may be to free some of his captured brethren. He stalks forward until he’s crowding into Stiles’ space. 

Stiles jerks back slightly before he visibly forces his whole body to relax. “Y-yes, Alpha,” he says and shoots Lydia a look, confusion clear on his face.

“Two Wolves,” Lydia says stepping forward. “A man and a woman, as our message outlined.”

_Message? What message?_ Derek suddenly has a desperate need to see these wolves. He needs to make sure they’re recovered before he takes this tiny town. “Show me these wolves,” he lets some of his alpha voice seep into the command.

Stiles gives a full body shiver and Derek is assaulted with the heavy musk of lust and sex. He rears back, surprised by that reaction but Lydia and Allison giggle and head back into the village, each lifting a cub as the kids return with more flower crowns.

“Of cour-rse,” Stiles says as a bright red blush spreads across his features. And that shouldn’t make someone more attractive.

Stiles places a hesitate hand on Derek’s arm and it is warm and soothing so Derek doesn’t shake it off like he should. Gaining confidence, Stiles clutches the muscles under his palm and leads Derek through the front gate.

Scott and Isaac chase after Lydia and Allison, hopefully to recon but Derek knows his betas are just curious and too trusting. Jackson follows Derek, eyes darting around, taking in everything. The gate starts to close behind them and Derek realizes that he has no idea what’s happening, but he knows that this isn’t going to be like any other siege he’s lead.


	4. Chapter 4

When they’ve entered the village proper, passing empty huts that Derek is sure haven’t been a home in many years, the women set the children down then take the extra flower crowns and push the young ones towards a pudgy woman in a pink smock. Lydia hands a crown to Stiles before leaning up to wrap one around Allison’s head.

Allison smiles before kissing Lydia lightly and puts a flower circlet around the red head. She turns around and hands a crown to Derek and Jackson. When Derek looks at Stiles, the young man has his head bowed slightly. Derek isn’t sure why or what he’s supposed to do. After a moment, Stiles looks up and seeing some answer to his unasked question, straightens up and wraps a crown around himself.

Scott takes his crown off, only to put it on Isaac. Isaac blushes but copies Scott. Jackson looks at his with pure disgust before he wraps it around his wrist. Derek studies the flowers in his hand. They’re pure black with blue freckles on the petals. There’s a red string tying all the flowers together, cutting through the stems but not the actually flower. There’s no way Derek is going to wear a flower crown or a flower bracelet, so he hands it to Stiles. Stiles’ eyes widen in shock _or is that hurt?_ Either way, he takes the crown and puts it on his head as well.

Derek looks around, trying to get an understanding of the village’s set up. There are a couple of buildings clustered together but they’re not exactly stable looking. Nowhere near the quality Derek’s seen in other Argent establishments or in his homeland. There’s only one solid establishment, a brick manor that’s easily the Lord’s home. He also notices that nearly every building has some sort of add on with plants growing in it. 

Eventually he realizes that the woman and her kids are watching them. The kids stare open mouthed but the woman is making sure to bare her neck and look downward as she watches them.

“That’s Elaine and her children John and Talia,” Stiles says, pride in his voice like he’s showing off his citizens. The group has stopped in the middle of a clearing and Derek has a feeling it’s the village’s equivalent of the main commons. At least it’s grassy unlike the land outside the fence.

“They’re the only children we have,” Lydia says. “At least right now. Stiles actually helped name little Tally.”

“Lydia!” Stiles hisses.

“But it’s true, Stiles,” Allison says with a laugh. “We didn’t know Elaine was having twins, so when baby Talia came out we didn’t have a name ready. Stiles is the one who suggest we name her after the Queen.” 

“Allison!” Stiles nearly squawks, another blush painting his face red. “I’m sure the Alpha General doesn’t want to hear such a silly story. There are probably plenty of girls named Talia in the Capitol.”

Derek is about correct Stiles, that no one would dare name their child after his dead mother when Stiles stream rolls forward. “Speaking of the Capitol and Queen Talia, how is the royal family? Last we heard, they were expecting another son, Herbert?”

“Robert,” Derek says gruffly. “His name was Robert.” He glares at the Lord, angry that he would taunt Derek with memories of his dead brother. 

Stiles shrinks back before he’s smiling again, but it’s clearly fake now. “Robert! What a lovely name. We’ll have to give you a gift to bring back to him. He’s what, four now? We have the perfect thing. It’s hard to keep up with news, being so far away. We have to rely on travelers and not many people venture into the Wildlands nowadays.”

Derek hears Jackson growl and he can feel Scott looking at him. One beta angry, the other worried about Derek. But the alpha can’t figure out this human. He doesn’t seem stupid, but nothing he’s said has made sense. It’s like the human is having a conversation with himself and not with Derek.

Derek looks around again and notices that they aren’t too many people milling about. “How many people live here,” he says curtly.

Lydia turns from her conversation with Allison to answer. “We have 28 adults and two children.”

The alpha looks around again and can’t imagine how he’s in the middle of a community of only 30 people. He sees a man who looks to be in his mid-thirties, wearing a yellow tunic and one of the flower crowns, carrying a shovel. Just from looking, Derek can tell he isn’t a warrior. “That man over there, what does he do?”

Stiles beams like having Derek ask questions is the most fun he could ever have. “Matt is a farmer like the rest of us.”

“You’re all farmers?” Derek is confused. How can everyone be a farmer?

Lydia smirks as she answers, “Some of us are better farmers than others. Isn’t that right Stiles?”

Stiles flushes red again but Allison comes to his rescue, “Everyone helps out and every contribution is important, no matter the size.”

“Plus,” Stiles says and he turns swinging an arm out for balance. “Everyone is trained for self-dense and hunting!”

This causes Derek to stop and he can feel his betas’ confusion matching his own. That’s not something you should share with a conqueror. In fact, Stiles isn’t acting like a human who will soon belong to a werewolf. He’s acting like a human who’s expected to give werewolves respect and due diligence. It’s unnerving Derek. He’s seen a lot in Argent land, but never something like this.

“Why?” Scott asks. He too must be unnerved with how easy this is going.

“When you live this close to the Wildlands, you need to know how to protect yourself,” Allison answers. “I hand-trained everyone,” she adds with a hint of the pride that Stiles has been excluding all morning.

“Oh!” Stiles says loudly. “I’m sure the Alpha General and his betas would love a demonstration during tomorrow’s festival. Allison do you think you could round up some of the guards?” 

Stiles looks at Derek with such open devotion and an earnest need to please that Derek finds himself nodding an agreement. Allison smiles and starts to leave to gather her guard when Derek realizes this would be the perfect opportunity to see their defenses. 

“Scott,” the alpha barks. ”Go with her and help however you can.” He tries to stealthily hint that this is an info gathering mission, but when Scott smiles warmly and links his arms with the woman’s, Derek’s not sure his beta understands.

He’s about to have Isaac join Scott but Lydia moves, placing Isaac’s hand into the nook of her elbow. “I’m sure, Isaac was it?” Lydia asks in a fake sweet voice.

Isaac ducks his head and Lydia continues, “Isaac will love to accompany me while I check on the final preparations.”

Derek opens his mouth to snarl that he’s the only who can give **his** betas orders when Lydia makes eye contact and preemptively interrupts him. “And Stiles will gladly escort the Alpha General and his puppy to the infirmary.”

She doesn’t wait for a response, just starts pulling Isaac away. The alpha can hear her speaking while she walks towards one of the greenhouses. “I’m sure you want to see the Ipomoea first hand-”

“Yes,” Stiles claps distracting Derek from hearing whatever the woman was about to say. “The infirmary. It’s just this way.” Stiles points a finger down the road, as if Derek could pick out the infirmary from the identical buildings. 

Jackson snorts, laughing at the human, but Derek gets a bad feeling in his stomach. He still doesn’t trust these people, they’re too nice for starters. But they also seem to be isolated and Derek knows that in order for anything to survive by itself, it has to be strong. 

He forms a plan as he follows Stiles to a hut directly attached to another one with those silly flower crowns hanging over the doorway. Derek will take a play out the Argent’s book, he'll infiltrate this community, and then take them down from the inside.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This totally ends on cliff hanger, but I wanted to get an update done today before I leave. Tomorrow is my friend's wedding (!), so there won't be an update until Monday. Sorry not sorry. ;)

During their short walk, Stiles talks nonstop about the most random topics. He informs Derek and Jackson that Beacon is the last stop before someone is foolish enough to enter the Wildlands. The alpha doesn’t know why the human is constantly reminding him of the border; his mother had banned any werewolf from venturing into the dangerous lands when she became Queen. The command is still strong despite her passing.

As they reach the hut Derek is assuming is the infirmary, another one of Beacon’s residents calls out Stiles’ name.

“Stiles!” A tan young man huff out coming to a stop in front of the lord. He’s a few scant inches taller and also wearing a white tunic, but unlike Stiles, his ends mid-calf and is tied over the right shoulder, leaving the left bare. There’s a long scar from his collarbone running down into the tunic. But the man is visibly strong, muscled chest, large arms and wide shoulders. He’d be good in a fighting ring, maybe even able to best a wounded Isaac. Most definitely a member of the guard then.

The new-comer still hasn’t paid Derek or Jackson any notice, just continues talking to Stiles. “The ipomoea will be ready soon, you know we’re going to need all the help we can get,” he quickly glances at Jackson before pointedly looking away.

Stiles has a knowing smirk when he responds. “Of course. You need _help_ ,” he says with a wink

The lord turns to Derek, “Alpha General, this is Mister Danny, our best gardener. It seems he is in need of some assistance. May I beg you for your beta’s aid?”

Derek has a quick mental picture of Stiles on his knees begging for something else, but before he can explore that option more thoroughly, Stiles continues talking. “I can promise you, that he’ll be more than willing to do whatever it takes to _please_ your beta.”

The alpha doesn’t understand why Stiles felt the need to stress the word ‘please’ until he looks at Danny again. The man has just the beginnings of a blush and he’s studiously avoiding looking at both of the werewolves. When Derek takes a subtle sniff, he detects Stiles’ salty smugness and a hint of sugary-sweetness that Derek’s always associated with arousal. 

His mind connects the dots and he fights to contain a laugh. The little lording is playing matchmaker. Derek knows he should nick this in the bud now, but when he looks over at Jackson, he finds his beta has gone stock-still. Blue eyes blazing, the younger wolf staring at the scar as if it’s personally offended him.

Derek knows it’ll be good strategic move to find out more about this ‘ipomoea’ thing. Both Lydia and this gardener have mentioned it. And if it helps mate off his only single beta, then there’s no harm done. “Yes,” he says to the group. “Jackson is more than able to be plowed.”

He delights in how red both the humans’ faces turn. “That is what a gardener does,” Derek asks in false innocence. “They plow things, good and hard.”

Danny face has reddened such that it reminds Derek of fall apples and Stiles sputters. But the taller human surprises Derek by looking straight at Jackson. “Oh, I can do more than simply plow. There’s lots of lifting and thrusting involved too.”

That does gain a laugh from the alpha. Jackson, who has been uncharacteristically quiet, growls loudly before grabbing Danny’s hand and leads the human away from his alpha. 

Derek looks back at Stiles to see him smiling. He’s still beet red, but he places a hand on the wolf’s forearm. “Danny is a good man,” he says seriously.

The pair starts to walk into the hut they’ve been standing in front of for the past 10 minutes only to have an older woman stop them. She stands tall and seems to loom over the lord despite being shorter than him. She’s wearing a yellow tunic and a yellow overcoat loosely wrapped around her shoulders. Her brown curly hair is tied up like a horse’s tail and she’s looking at Stiles sternly.

“Stiles,” she says his name like its honor and a chore at the same time. Derek has a flash of pain when he realizes that his mother used to say his name with that same tone. “I’ve told before that we need to let them rest.”

She glances over at Derek but quickly dismisses him, turning back to Stiles. “Who’s this? Is he going into the Wildlands?”

Without waiting for a response, she wheels on Derek and with a ferociousness usually only found in werewolves she says, “Your gold’s no good here. You want herbs you’ll have to barter.”

Ignores Stiles’ squawk and waving arms, she looks Derek up and down. “You look strong,” she starts. “Help me move some tables and I’ll give you a pouch of mountain ash.”

 _Mountain ash!_ Derek snaps his eyes to hers. This complicates things. Maybe it’s time to take over now. He can sense the wolves nearby. He’ll find them without the humans help. Just as his claws drop, Stiles is moving.

The lord grabs the woman’s arm and drags her out of the building and away from Derek. “Melissa!” He whispers, not knowing that Derek can still hear them clearly. “That’s the Alpha General! He doesn’t want mountain ash.”

“The… the Alpha General,” the woman, Melissa, hisses. She grips Stiles’ arm as if she’s steadying herself. “And I…I just. Oh Mother Moon. What did I just do?”

Stiles chuckles lightly before looking back at Derek. He smiles, but it’s tight around the edges. He leans into Melissa’s space and whispers quickly, “Just go see if the Wolves are awake. I’ll handle this.”

The woman nods and rushes past Derek into the hut. Stiles walks back, baring his neck completely. “My apologizes, Alpha.” He voice shaky and Derek finds his wolf relaxing. “Melissa is our healer and can be…” Stiles waves his hands around, as if that’ll summon the correct word. “Protective. She’s protective.”

Derek huffs. He knows when someone is talking like a politician and it irks him. But that’s humans. They use words like weapons. He exhales loudly and crosses his arms, making sure to bulge the muscles. He has to be smart here, these people are tricky.

Stiles swallows audible and stares at Derek’s arms a while before he looks away. The scent of his arousal nearly overcoming the scent of embarrassment Melissa left behind.

There’s an awkward pause before Stiles straightens up and walks into the hut. Derek smirks to himself, knowing that the human has been properly reminded of his place before following. He’s instantly hit with the scent of dried herbs, candle wax and pack. He looks to the bed shoved into a corner and is stunned motionless.

There with her eyes closed, Erica’s head is resting on Boyd’s shoulder. Boyd’s arms are curled protectively around her waist. He lifts his head and looks directly at Derek.

“Alpha,” He says in that deep calming way that Boyd always manages in any situation. 

That’s all it takes to spur Derek into action. He leaps across the room, barely registering Stiles and Melissa walking further into the hut. Instead, he concentrates on his betas and engulfs them both in bone-crushing hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're liking the story so far, please consider donating to this [IndieGoGo campaign](http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/launch-buck-off-magazine) I'm a part of. We're seriously far away from our goal, so any little bit will be a huge help.  
> Thanks you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. Expect the rest of the updates to be at night (or at least night for me) from now on. Enjoy :)

The hug is strong enough to jostle Boyd and Erica into Derek’s chest. The alpha can feel his wolf bursting to the top. He wants to howl and bite the betas, reaffirming their place in his pack. He settles for crushing them in tight, placing each werewolves’ head in the hollow of his neck.

It can’t be comfortable for either Boyd or Erica, considering how Boyd’s front is plastered against Erica’s back, pushing her body into the cloth-covered hay that’s acting as a mattress. Derek feels a little hand slip through the hidden holes in his armor. He figures it’s Erica holding onto to him. She must have missed him too. He knows his wolf is completely content, would be on his back, tongue lolling out if Derek had shifted.

Suddenly he feels claws stabbing into his side and Derek jerks back, spine straightening at the sharp pain.

“Holy, fuck!” Erica pants. “Were you trying to smother us? Now all I can smell is your nasty self. When’s the last time you bathed? And why do you smell like sad arousal? Did you cry while masturbating?”

Derek knows he should reprimand the she-wolf. That she should know better than to attack **and insult** her alpha, but he’s just too shocked. How was he supposed to react to finally finding his betas? _Ignore them?_ He looks at Boyd, question clear on his face and the dark-skinned man explodes in laughter.

“Blondie. Leave the man alone,” Boyd says it like he’s helping Derek, but the wolf has always sided with his mate. Derek doesn’t trust him. “It has to be tough dealing with Scott and Isaac swapping spit and Jackson sulking. He has to cry when he-”

“I don’t cry when I masturbate!” Derek snarls.

He hears laughing and turns around to see Stiles standing in the hut’s doorway, his mouth wide open, eyes shining like gold. The human flings his left hand to cover his mouth, almost stopping the ugly guffaws. Almost. Derek narrows his eyes at boy before glaring at his betas. They set him up and he fell for their trick. Once they’re back home, he’ll have to seek his revenge.

“Not to interrupt,” Stiles says gaining Derek’s attention again. “But Melissa and I have to go check on… things.” He says with a wave of his hand as if that explains anything. He looks at Erica and continues, “We won’t be gone long, just try not to move around too much. We don’t want to stress your condition.”

“Condition? What condition?” Derek demands as he stalks toward Stiles. If his beta has been hurting this whole time, Derek is going to destroy this pathetic excuse of Argent land.

Stiles tilts his head as if Derek has sprouted a second head and is something to study. “Erica’s pregnant. Can you not tell?”

“Pregnant!” Derek whirls to face the couple. He knows they were mated, but he isn’t ready to welcome a new pack member. At least not yet. “But… how?”

Erica responds with a smirk and the alpha realizes his mistake. But it’s too late to prevent whatever smart-mouth comment she’s thinking. “Well, Derek,” Erica says, grin widening. “When a boy werewolf and a girl werewolf love each other, they sometimes share a bed. Adults call this sex.”

Boyd is shaking with laughter and Derek hears Stiles giggling. The human clears his throat and says, “I’ll be back soon,” he pauses. “Derek,” Stiles sighs before fleeing out of the hut.

It’s barely a whisper but hearing his name come from Stiles’ lips sends a thrill of pleasure down Derek’s back. He closes his eyes to enjoy the feeling for a moment before opening them and staring the pair down. He doesn’t smell new life growing, so he isn’t going to fall for their lie.

Erica sits up, tugging the cloth blanket around her waist. She’s in her leather under amour that conforms to her body, making her look as fierce and deadly as she is. She stretches, her stomach popping out a little. 

Boyd is shirtless, his chest proudly on display. His legs are tangled with Erica’s and hidden under the blanket. He’s looking at Erica, letting her do the talking. “Fine,” she huffs, turning to look Derek straight on. “I’m not pregnant.

“When we were attacked by those hunters, Boyd and I ran. We heard Scott cry out, we thought he died. We could feel his pain.” She looks down, only to have Boyd’s meaty hand encase her. Taking comfort in his actions, she looks towards Derek, but doesn’t make eye contact this time. “I freaked. Ran off. Boyd chased after me. When our wounds finally healed, we realized that we had no idea where we were. We couldn’t even feel you.”

She’s quiet for a second, “Our plan was to find some kind of base and join up with a pack and travel back home. We wanted to know what happened, but we didn’t want to go into battle without you.”

“Without the pack,” Boyd interjects. 

Erica looks up at him, her blonde hair blocking Derek from seeing her face. Boyd smiles at her before talking. “Allison, the archer, was out hunting when she found us. She brought us back here to rest. We needed an excuse to stay here. It was the first thing we thought of.” Boyd shrugs, like that’s all he’s going to share. Knowing the wolf, Derek is certain he’ll remain silent for the rest of the conversation.

It’s quiet for a moment and Derek can’t figure out what they’re not sharing until Erica flicks her hair and starts talking. “Derek, these are good people. But they’re isolated. Really isolated. They didn’t even know about the fire. They had no idea we are at war. We couldn’t leave them defenseless. We couldn’t.” 

Her eyes are wide, pleading with Derek for forgiveness, for understanding. Derek knows that he could be angry, disappointed with her. With them both. They practically abandoned the pack for some humans. But he’s not heartless and he’s certainly not stupid. Derek has been in this village for less than a day and he knows he wouldn’t leave them alone. Would want to protect them. 

The alpha exhales slowly, then grabs his betas and pulls them close again. Pack is pack. No matter what. 

The trio remains hugging until Derek hears someone lightly knocking on one of the hut’s walls. He looks up to see Stiles has return and is smiling lightly. The human is looking softly at the group and Derek feels a little embarrassed at finding myself happy to see such an expression. 

Stiles walks fully into the hut and bares his neck. “Der-derek.” He swallows over the stumble but continues as if it never happened. “If it would please the Alpha General,” Stiles smirks over the title. “I’d like to show you our library, and of course the Beacon Treaty.”

Before Derek can respond that no, he’s going to stay here, Erica groans and shoves her face into Boyd’s stomach. The werewolf grunts from the unexpected blow. Derek shakes his head, the scene reminds him of easier times. He chuckles lightly, but Stiles pushes him off the bed and crowds into the couple.

“Erica! Erica!” Stiles nearly screams. “Are you okay?”

Derek can smell the beginning of the human’s panic, can feel his heart beating out of control. 

“Stiles,” Boyd says in his Boyd voice; the one that always soothes an angry pack member. “Stiles, she’s okay. Just tried. Right Blondie?”

Erica lifts her head and smiles widely. It looks genuine and Derek wonders how attached his betas have gotten. How he’s going to protect them when the rest of the army comes to conquer this village. Derek has no idea what he’s going to do when that inevitable happens.

She places her hand on top of Stiles' and says, “I’m fine. Just a little sleepy, like Boyd said.” Derek can hear her heart skip over the lie but Stiles seems to believe her.

Her smile turns dark and she looks at Derek. “But don’t let me stop you. I’m sure _the Alpha General_ would love to hear your stories.”

Derek could throttle her. He doesn’t want to hear any backwood story from Stiles. He wants to fuck Stiles. Wait. No. That’s not what he meant. He quickly looks at everyone to make sure he didn’t say anything. No one’s looking at him, so he figures he’s okay.

Stiles turns and beams at Derek. “Melissa has agreed to let you and your pack sleep in her home while you’re here. I’ve told Lydia to let your betas know.”

Stiles is quiet for a minute before he steps forward and links he’s hand with Derek. It’s warm and soft and Derek finds himself closing his fist around the other’s palm. Stiles looks back at Erica and Boyd. “Melissa will be back soon. She doesn’t want to leave you alone for too long.”

He waits for them to nod in understanding before pulling Derek away from his pack. It’s strange how his wolf doesn’t fight it. He can feel his mind ready to supply a reason why Derek isn’t fighting this, but the alpha doesn’t want to admit that possibility. At least not yet. 

Instead, he walks into the fading sunlight and braces himself to go wherever Stiles is bringing them.


	7. A new chapter, FINALLY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> READ THIS FIRST
> 
> Not gonna lie, I've been having a really hard time, both in RL and with this fic. But I'm done with this not being done. It's been almost a whole month without updating and that is not okay.
> 
> Fair warning, this ends on a cliff hanger. But there will be another chapter tomorrow night, so the wait won't be to long.
> 
> Also, we're nearing the end, 2-4 chapters left.

They walk to the manor, Stiles holding onto Derek’s hand the whole trip. The human gestures to buildings, people, plants, and animals sharing a little anecdote about each and every one. When something was built, how those berries add flavor to a salad, why that cat’s name is Tigerbait. It’s clear that while Stiles may be a lord, his people view him as just another resident of Beacon.

When they reach the building, Derek is shocked to find it on a solid foundation with a steel door, opened wide. Just from one look, the alpha can tell that this building would be difficult to overtake. Stiles pays the door no mind and leads Derek from the dirt path to a marble floored foyer. Derek has just enough time to notice that the hallway breaks into four paths before Stiles is dragging him down one direction. Gold statues and oil paintings decorate the path, but Stiles doesn’t seem to have a story for these attractions. He remains quiet until he opens the fifth door they pass and slipping his hand out of Derek’s, Stiles walks into a library.

“The library was my favorite room growing up,” Stiles says. “After mom.” He stops and looks away from Derek, gaze wondering around the large room. “After mom, it was easier to read than talk with others.”

Derek wants to push, wants to know what happened, but he isn’t stupid. Derek stopped reading after the fire; instead he threw himself into getting stronger, becoming a better warrior. He knows the need for a distraction.

The library is a wide room, book stacks taking up the sides, forcing the only open space to be in the middle. There’s a small fire place framed by two large bay windows and a couple chairs arranged around a large wooden table. A book lays open, forgotten in the middle of it. Stiles picks it up with a forlorn look before closing it and placing it on a shelf.

He turns to Derek and his smile is small, honest. More real than the grin he’d been sporting all day. “Beacon wasn’t always this pathetic,” Stiles says causally. “We use to be as bustling as the Capital.”

The human looks at Derek, gauging his reaction. The alpha isn’t sure why, but he keeps his face blank. It seems to be enough for the lord because he continues his story. 

“The Hales even visited once,” Stiles starts. Derek can feel his ears perk at his family’s name. He’d never even heard of Beacon before the war. To learn that some ancestor came here pings his curiosity. “James Lee Hale,” Stiles voice takes on that of a storyteller’s. His hands have stopped moving as if on their own and are now following a well traveled path. This is a story he’s told many times before.

“James Hale, father to Queen Talia Hale, had only just mated with his love Beatrice. He wasn’t Alpha yet, but well on the path to becoming so,” Stiles says clearly. “The two had left the Capital to venture into the Wildlands. It was all the rage back then. Werewolves proved themselves by killing any one of the fierce beast just over those hills,” Stiles waves a hand towards the windows.

“Wolves of all kinds would come to Beacon, seeking shelter from the harsh, unforgiving lands. That’s how we got our name; we were a beacon for all to rest.” Stiles laughs once, but it’s cruel and hard. “Of course, put a lot of people together and something evil is sure to follow.”

Stiles looks away and Derek can’t tell if the pause is planned to add drama or if he’s trying to remember the next line. “When the Hales came to visit, Grand Omega Bea had been pregnant. Her second one, the first lost to a miscarriage.” 

Derek growls, angry that someone would beseech his family name. His grandmother gave birth to all five of her children with no problem. He knows his pack’s history. Stiles, hearing his anger, stokes a hand up and down the werewolf’s arm. “That’s why they came to Beacon. They wanted to eat the ipomoea, absorb its fertility properties.

“But when they got here, an evil from the Wildlands had decided to attack Beacon. A werewolf so strong and vile his name was lost to time; many called him the Demon Wolf. By the time the Hales arrived, the beast had already attacked once and the town was worried he’d strike again.

“James, being the strong alpha he was meant to be, declared that he’d defeat the Demon Wolf. But only if the Lord of Beacon could promise protection for his mate,” Stiles pauses again, and this time Derek feels himself pause too, holding his breath. He knows he’s fallen under Stiles’ spell. That he’s hooked on the human’s story.

“That’s when Gemina Stilinski, only child to Lord Stilinski and my grandmother, volunteered to stand watch over the pregnant Hale.” Stiles sports a cocky grin and with a little bit of sass says, “Stilinski women are spell casters.”

Derek snaps his head up and gives Stiles a long look. There aren’t many spell casters left. That particular gift is only genetic, either you have it or you don’t. It can’t be given like the Bite can. The creeping feeling that Derek is unprepared for this village starts blooming in his chest again. Stiles notices Derek’s stare and his grin evolves into a full-blown smirk.

“At the time, she was young but experienced. She knew she could protect the pregnant wolf,” Stiles’ eyes sparkle now that he’s telling the story again. “So Alpha James Hale gathered up a searching party, kissed his mate goodbye and walked straight into the Wildlands. 

“The story goes that he did this under a full moon, but grandma used to say that it was midday and folks need to stop trying to change the past.” Stiles laughs a little, full or mirth and happy memories.

“But,” and the human’s voice drops and he looks side to side. Derek finds himself leaning forward. “As Alpha Hale ventured into the Wildlands, the Demon Wolf had formed a dastardly plan. The beast knew the town would seek him out so he hid until nightfall and crept towards the town. He somehow found out that a pregnant wolf was in Beacon and he wanted to kidnap her and her unborn child!”

The idea of someone attacking his grandmother – a woman Derek never met – makes the werewolf growl and he’s not all that surprised to discover his claws have popped out. Stiles, for his part is looking at Derek but not really seeing the man, too caught up in the story to notice the wolf coming to the surface.

“See, the Demon Wolf wanted to expand his pack,” Stiles explains. “And like all cowards, he thought it best to just take instead of working for it. He tracked the scent of pregnant wolf until he came upon the manor. Scaling the north facing wall, the wolf burst into the room where she was resting.”

Stiles separates his hands and leans forward, like miming a curtain being pulled apart. It should look ridiculous, but Derek doesn’t care. He wants - no needs - to know what happened next. The logical part of his mind says that obvious his grandmother and Stiles’ grandmother lived, otherwise neither of them could be here in this moment, but he’s too worked up to think.

Stiles breathes in deep, “The Demon Wolf didn’t expect to find a human woman standing guard but he quickly dismissed her. He foolishly thought her humanity was a weakness. He stalked past her, headed straight to Grand Omega Bea.

“And that’s,” Stiles snaps his fingers, loud and hard in the quiet room. “When Gemina attacked. She let her magic coat her hands in warm, blue energy. Raising her arms, she released the power, throwing the Demon Wolf into the stone wall.” Stiles moves his arms in a copy of what his grandmother must have done. Strong arms moving in a pattern like it’s second nature.

“With the evil werewolf monetarily distracted both women ran from the room. Their-”

“Run?!” Derek interrupts. “Never. A wolf never runs from a fight. We stay and defend what’s ours.”

Stiles laughs, high and light. “Run from the fight?! Oh no, they were just running from the room. You see, they had devised a cunning plan. Neither woman could defeat the monster on their own. Grand Omega Bea was pregnant and couldn’t risk her child’s life. And while Gemina was a spell caster, it would have been too dangerous to use her magic nonstop like that.

“Not many people know this,” Stiles says and looks around, the universal precursor to sharing a secret. “But that energy a spell caster has, that comes from them. Use too much at once and it’s possible to die from it.”

Stiles is quiet for a moment, and Derek can’t help but feel there’s a story in there somewhere. He’s frustrated that Stiles seems to have a past full of stories that he doesn’t know. 

_Yet. That he doesn’t yet_ , he tell himself.

“As I was saying,” Stiles speaks again, voice in storytelling mode. “The two women ran from the room. Grand Omega Bea went into a guest room and Gemina into another. When the Demon Wolf recovered he chased after his original target, the pregnant omega.

“He thought he’d cornered her in the room, but this manor is like many other manors.” Stiles says coyly, walking away from Derek towards the fireplace. 

“Like most places built long ago,” Stiles speaks as he trails a hand across the mantle. His fingers following the dips in the ornate gold mountain design. “This manor has a lot of secrets.” 

Stiles presses down on something and Derek hears one of the book stacks move. The wolf turns to see that the stack nearest the fire place has moved inward, revealing a second room. Stiles laughs at something in Derek’s expression and strolls into the newly exposed room. 

Derek watches the younger man go, mesmerized by the scene before he’s scrambling after Stiles. The other room is a smaller library, with shelves brimming with books carved into the walls. He understands now, that this was Stiles’ favorite room. Unless you knew where to look, finding someone hiding in here would be impossible. Stiles is sitting behind a broad, oak desk smiling. There’s some large parchment laid out, but Derek can’t read it from this angle.

“So the Demon Wolf walks forward, confident that he’s going to get his prize,” Stiles continues the story as if nothing has happened and Derek can’t stop the grin from spreading; this human is full of intrigue. 

“But as soon as he steps into the room, Gemina slams into his back, pushing him onto his knees. He turns to swipe his claws but is shocked to discover that he can’t move pass the doorway. He turns to survey the room and learns that he’s all alone now. While Gemina had distracted him, Grand Omega Bea had slipped through one of the other concealed pathways and was well on her way to safety.

“Gemina had placed mountain ash down and before he could find the secret passage out, she landed another line down effectively trapping the foul creature inside the room. When Alpha Hale returned, he found his mate and my grandmother laughing and drinking wine.” Stiles smiles warmly, “Grandma used to say that he laughed loud enough to rattle the windows. That it was a good, belly laugh. Something that made others want to laugh.”

Derek exhales and thinks about the way Laura used to laugh. 

“The search party went up to the room,” Stiles says, mistakenly believing that Derek’s sigh is one of relief and not sadness. “And once Gemina broke the ash barrier, Alpha Hale and his group fought and killed the Demon wolf.”

Stiles’ right hand trails along the paper’s edge before he traps it between his thumb and index finger. “The next morning, Lord Stilinski and Alpha Hale came together and made a treaty. Stilinski promised loyalty and Alpha Hale promised protection. When the Hales inherited the crown, Beacon officially became a part of the Wolf Nation.”

Grinning widely, Stiles lifts the document for Derek to see. He doesn’t know how, but he finds himself holding the old parchment, reading his grandfather writing promising that as long as the Hales are alive, Beacon will be protected. 

The werewolf feels his vision spin. He’s on Hale Empire land. Not Argent land. Land that his sister and her army are coming to help **him** destroy. He, who acted like Kate Argent, and lied his way into Stiles’ confidence. 

Derek stumbles forward and slams a hand on the desk for balance, gripping the corner hard enough for the wood to protest. The treaty slides out of hand and floats to the floor. He can feel warm hands on his shoulders, cupping his face, trying to soothe him. Stiles talking to him, saying something important but Derek can’t hear him over his labored breathing, the ringing in his ears.

Some part of his brain says that this is probably a panic attack and he needs to calm down, but he can’t focus. Can’t control his body. He knows Stiles is moving him, knows they’re in the main library now but he can’t see anything. 

He doesn’t seeing curly red hair flying past him, doesn’t feel Lydia rushing to Stiles. Can’t hear anything until the very end of whatever she’s saying.

“We’re being attacked.”


	8. the story continues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed chapter 7, so make sure you read that first. Also, due to the holiday and other projects, the next update will be on Dec 2.
> 
> Oh! and a big shout out for everyone being so patient and kind and thoughtful. Thank you guys so much so sticking with me.

_We’re being attacked_  
 _being attacked_  
 _attacked_  
 _**attacked** _

The words repeat over and over in Derek’s head, drowning any sensible reaction in fear and panic. His sister is here and she’s going to destroy Beacon. She’s going to tear their pathetic wall down, set fire to their tiny buildings and enslave Hale people. Cora won’t listen to them; she’ll think it’s a trick. She won’t believe.

The alpha looks up and sees the room clearly for the first time. Lydia’s eyes are wide with fright. Her hair is a mess, the flower crown from before nowhere in sight. He looks at Stiles and feels all the air leave his lungs. The lord has his back ramrod straight, shoulders parallel with spread legs. It’s a warrior’s stance. The fool thinks to fight.

The thought brings Derek’s wolf to the edge of his control. He storms from the library running to the foyer. These people might not be able to stop Cora and their brethren, but he can stop her. Explain to her the history of this place. Explain that they were mistaken. 

As he reaches the main hall, he hears the dying sound of a ringing bell being destroyed and sees people running into the manor. It’s pitch black but Derek’s wolf eyes can see clearly. He catches a glimpse of man from earlier, Matt or something, carrying one of the children into the building. The stench of fear and worry heavy in the room. Melissa grabs his arm, yells at him to stop but Derek just pushes her outside. He has to do this.

Derek’s outside by the time he sees the telltale sign of smoke in the distance. He instantly remembers the abandoned huts at the village’s entrance and hopes the fire doesn’t spread too quickly. 

“Derek!” Jackson screams running to his alpha. “Scott and Isaac are trying to stop them, but they won’t listen to us.” He eyes are shining so blue, it physically hurts Derek to see the beta not shifted. His blond locks are in disarray and Derek can smell the beginnings of sex on him, but he ignores that for now. They have bigger things to worry about.

He takes two steps before a hand pulls his arm backwards. Derek wheels around, prepared to throw whoever is holding him, only to stumble into Stiles. The human’s heart is beating wildly, but his face is a blank, hard. “Derek you have to stop,” Stiles says. “It’s too-”

Derek growls, loud and long; the sound reverberating through his whole body. “Jackson!” He barks. “Get everyone inside, protect the manor.” Derek lets his eye flick red, making it a command.

Jackson turns and starts to scoop Stiles into his hands but the human flails an arm out and screams, “Allison!”

The trio turn and the fire must be spreading fast because all three of them can see the young archer leaning heavily into Danny. Her left side is bleeding heavily, slash marks through her armor. She’s still carrying her crossbow, but Derek can tell that she’s too hurt to fire it safely, more likely to hurt Danny than an enemy. Danny, for his part, has bruises forming, but thankfully doesn’t seem to be bleeding.

Jackson growls before he’s supernaturally dashing forward. The beta doesn’t even say anything just picks the wounded pair up and brings them into the manor. Derek turns to see Stiles stalking forward, straight towards the pounding feet of the Hale Empire’s werewolf army.

 _He’s going to die!_ Derek can’t stop the thought from speeding through his brain. Can’t stop picturing Stiles being ripped to shreds as a fire burns brightly. 

The werewolf lets his claws slide free; feels the bones in his legs lengthen for more power. His ears stretch out and Derek knows his forehead has ripped out. He won’t got full Alpha-shift but he needs to be in his beta form. Three steps lands Derek next to where Stiles has stopped, facing his burning village.

“Sthiless,” Derek forces the hard ‘S’ pass his fangs. He’s about to say more but a figure walks out of the haze the blaze is causing.

“Dear Nephew, what’s this?” Peter says around a greasy grin. 

“Nephew?” Stiles asks quietly, moving in front of Derek, shielding him. 

Derek howls and pushes his human behind him. Peter won’t listen to Derek, he knows this. He just needs to stop him from hurting Stiles long enough for Cora to come find them. 

“Oh Derek,” Peter says voice full of fake concern. “Fallen for another human?” His uncle flashes his claws and continues, “When are you going to learn that they’re only good for mounting?”

Peter’s lips curl into a disgusting leer and Derek can’t stop the spike of fear at the idea of Peter anywhere near Stiles. He doesn’t want to register the shame that just a week ago, he thought the same thing.

“Derek Hale,” Stiles says, voice soft. “You’re Derek Hale,” this time Stiles says it like an accusation.

Derek turns to Stiles, about to explain everything. Ready to defend himself, when he hears Peter chuckle. “Just figuring it out now,” the older wolf says with clear contempt. “Not to bright is it?”

Derek growls and step forward only to feel something faintly tugging at his person. He looks at Stiles and sees the younger man’s glowing bright blue. Just like his grandmother’s hands would have. He’s about to say something, do something, when a strong force throws Derek away from Stiles and away from Peter. 

Instead of fighting it, Derek lets Stiles’ life energy move him. He turns in the air and lands in a crouch, claws dragging through the dirt. He looks at Peter to see that the wolf has shifted to his beta from as well.

Derek exhales and starts to stand when Peter roars over the sound of burning wood, “SPELL CASTER!”

Spell casters are rare, but not unheard of. There are protocols every wolf warrior learns upon joining the forces. Betas and omegas are to find safety while all available alphas encircle and kill the threat.

Peter doesn’t wait for back-up. He crouches down and leaps arms and claws facing Stiles directly. Derek doesn’t think, just jumps forward, tackling Peter mid-air. The two smash into the ground roughly. Peter swipes upward, slashing Derek’s side. The younger wolf roars, back arching. But he claps him thighs around his uncle’s hips, doesn’t let the man throw him off.

They tumble, body slamming each other on rock and dirt. Fangs and claws cut one another, wolf blood spilling easily. The heat of the fire closing in on them. Peter somehow dislodges Derek and toss the alpha into the air.

Derek lands and tries to stand, but his knees give out. He’s lost to much blood, isn’t healing fast enough. He glances up at Peter weakly. “Pl-please uncle,” he tries to say.

Peter laughs darkly. “Always so weak,” Peter says and turns towards where Stiles has been standing during their fight. Derek looks up to find that Lydia has joined Stiles, her right hand entwined with Stiles’ left, but hers glowing bright green. Together, the spell casters raise their arms, energy visibly flowing around them.

Derek doesn’t have the strength to stay in this position, just flops onto his back and watches the night sky. Not even Peter is strong enough to defeat two spell casters. He hears movement to his right, but Derek ignores it as he sees flames dance high above. Craning his neck, he sees that Lydia and Stiles are pulling the fire away from the town’s building, shaping it. It takes a second, but Derek eventually realizes that they’re making a dragon.

He snorts. Of course Stiles would make a dragon. Derek doesn’t want to look away, but he glances over to see that his uncle has stopped moving, enraptured with the sight. When the fiery beast is finally made, its snarl pierces throughout Beacon. Derek swears he feels every wolf look up in fear and astonishment. Suddenly the dragon explodes in a bright white light and crackle like thunder shoots across the sky. It’s blinding and deafening for the wolves.

Derek lays on the ground for what feels like hours. When he can finally open his eyes again, the almost full moon shines bright, preventing any shadows from existing in the village’s center. He sees his uncle on his pack, arm covering his eyes, mouth open. Derek looks to where Stiles and Lydia were standing and the spot is empty. 

It takes the last of his willpower, but he turns his head to look at the manor almost glowing in the pale light and Derek just knows where Stiles has run to. He closes his eyes and sleeps.


	9. Chapter 9

When Derek opens his eyes, it’s to a muted light and the smell of burnt wood. He figures it’s either early morning or the beginnings of twilight and considering how much his body complains as he tries to move, the alpha is willing to bet that the sun has just started to rise. Great.

“You’re awake.” A deep female voice says.

Derek swings his head and looks at Cora. His younger sister, and alpha to the Hale army, is sitting backwards on a slightly burnt wooden chair. Her legs are spread and run parallel with the chair’s rear legs, arm folded over the back support. It’s a causal pose, one meant to convey comradeship but it’s forced and it makes Derek’s fur stand up.

His wolf is wary and that irks Derek. He already fought with his uncle; he doesn’t want to fight with his sister. While Derek has always been quiet, he’s never been afraid to defend himself. He knows Cora knows this. The older alpha exhales and takes in his surroundings.

He’s in the traditional Hale army grey tents reserved for alphas and diplomats, laying on a blanket with a washed out odor that feels like it could be Scott’s but could be from any beta. The room should have a table for him to use as a desk, should have at least three chairs, should have a wash basin, should have a bed but instead only holds him, his blanket, his sister and her chair.

Derek flops his head back down and counts to ten, trying to soothe his wolf. He reaches out and can feel Scott, Isaac, Erica and Boyd nearby. It takes a little longer and the connection is weak, but Jackson is still alive and still in-town.

“Derek,” Cora says. “I want you to explain what happened.”

“Cora, it’s not-” he starts only to be interrupted.

“This was supposed to be an easy job. Take out their defenses. Earn redemption. Instead, I found you laying on the ground, Peter’s blood on your hands and two, not one but two, spell casters still alive. Derek, what the hell happened?!” Cora stands, arms crossed as she finishes. 

Derek exhales loudly before standing. Cora is one the strongest fighters Derek has ever encountered, but she doesn’t know what’s happened; doesn’t know that Stiles needs to be protected not attacked. He won’t let anything happen to his human.

“Cora, we’re on Hale soil.” Direct has always been the route with Cora. The woman isn’t very sentimental, preferring hard facts over gushy statements. “They had a treaty will Grandpa James. We were misinformed.”

“A treaty! Are you serious right now.” Cora unfolds her arms and steps forward. “Peter said you had fallen for a human. Can’t you see it’s a lie. That it’s all been a lie,” she screams.

The words cause Derek to step back. He thinks about Stiles’ smile, Stiles' steady heartbeat as he shared with Derek. How protective and feisty Melissa is. Lydia's fear as they were attacked. No, it’s not lie. He steps forward, gets in Cora’s personal space. She tenses and that hurts just as much as her words.

At 5 feet 3 inches, Cora barely makes it to Derek’s chest. He knows that if he’s going to win this argument, he needs them to appear as equals; as brother and sister, not as alpha vs. alpha. He kneels downs and hugs her waist. “Please, Cora.” Derek says, trying to stop his voice from getting whiny. “Please trust me. This is Hale land.”

It only takes a moment, but it’s the longest moment of his life. Eventually, Derek feels Cora’s strong arms wrap around his shoulders gently. Almost heart-breakingly so. They stay that way, just holding onto each other until someone clears their throat. Derek looks over to see it’s one of Cora’s betas. Jennifer or something.

“Alphas,” she bares her neck slightly. “Camp set-up is finished but there’s a problem. The humans seem to have a garden on the manor grounds. It’ll be harder to starve them out.” She bows and leaves without waiting for a response.

Cora turns to Derek. “Alright,” she claps her hands. “You’ve been here the longest, what’s the best plan. How do go about this?”

He thinks for a minute. If they’re in the manor, it’ll be hard to conquer with force. It takes a second, but an idea comes to mind and he’s sure that it’s the only way this will work. “This is a farming village, they’ll have food saved up for years. We can’t starve them out. And that manor is the only building impossible to overtake.

“But these people don’t want to fight. They thought we were guest for their festival. We have to negotiate.” Derek smiles at the idea of sitting across from Stiles, promising protection. It’ll be easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Derek is a fool ;)
> 
>  
> 
> I swear to God, I'll finish this story before 2014.


	10. Chapter 10

The arrows sticking out of Cora’s right shoulder and upper back don’t seem to have been laced with any poison, certainly not with wolfsbane, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Derek reaches over and rips one out, not giving Cora a warning. He’s learned in the past that Cora can be really defensive about removing objects poking out of her skin. It’s easier for everyone to just do it for her. He moves to pull the next one when a sharp, excruciating pains slashes through his left leg. He bites back a howl of pain.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Cora says with a cocky grin. 

He responds but grabbing the second arrow and tearing it free. Cora kicks him in the knee before walking to a waiting beta, handing an arrow off for examination. “I thought you said they’d negotiate,” she says looking at her brother.

“I said we need to negotiate,” Derek replies. “I knew they’d be angry, but I didn’t expect that.”

**That** was their failed attempt at peace talks. Cora and Derek had walked towards the manor, arms hanging freely at their sides. He wasn’t surprised to see a ring of mountain ash around the homestead. Nor was he surprised to find Lydia standing on the mansion’s roof watching them. At least her hand wasn’t engulfed in green flames.

Derek’s never been a diplomat, a mediator. Before the war, that job had always fallen to either Uncle Peter or Laura and with good reason. Both werewolves know how to use words like humans, know what to say, how to say it and when to speak. Derek solves problems with actions.

With that in mind, he lets Cora do the talking. That may have been his first mistake. “We come in peace,” the female alpha says. 

“No you don’t,” Lydia laughs hard and cruel. “You come with lies and war.”

Cora smirks and Derek can already tell this isn’t going right. “Lydia,” he starts, hoping to figure out how to settle this peacefully when Allison pops up next to her wife. The huntress leans in and whispers, knowing that Derek and Cora will still hear her, “Stiles says he doesn’t care how, just get rid of them.”

It makes Derek’s heart lurch to be so callously dismissed but before he has a chance to defend himself, to explain how everything went wrong. The rest of the guard appears on the manor’s rooftop with bows and arrows. It’s a small force, no where strong enough to actually threaten Derek and Cora, and most of the arrows go wide but the few that land home still hurt. 

Back in the tent, Derek gathers Erica and Boyd to sit down with Cora and a couple of her betas. Scott and Isaac are off in the camp talking to the army, trying to convince some of the wolves that Beacon isn’t an enemy. He still can’t find Jackson, but can feel that the beta is nearby. Derek’s not too worried about him. At least not yet.

“We need a plan,” he’s says thinking someone will think of something. Anything. “Boyd, Erica, what if you went to talk with Stiles? He likes you.”

Derek looks over at the pair. Boyd has his back ramrod straight and his legs wide on the ground. He has arms wrapped around Erica’s waist where she’s sitting in his lap, as if there aren’t enough chairs in the camp despite there being an empty one right next to the pair put there specifically for Erica. Her blonde hair is pushed up into the traditional warrior’s bun and she frowns before talking. 

“I don’t think that’s going to work. I’m still not pregnant. He’ll think everything was a lie. Well, it was a lie, but now he’s thinking I’m not trustworthy, that I was a spy or something. Which is total bullshit.” Erica flicks hair and glares at nothing. Boyd, sensing his mate’s distress, rubs soothing hands on her sides.

It’s quiet for a beat and then Janette, Cora’s beta from earlier, asks, “What if we hunted for them. Gave them meat, a sign of friendship?”

Cora opens her mouth to say something when they hear it. _Derek_. Everyone stops and looks around. There’s no way that was the wind.

“Derek!” It’s barely a whisper but it’s there. “Derek you ass, I know you can hear me.”

He doesn’t recognize the voice, but the disrespectful tone riles his wolf. This stranger dares to think he can address Derek as anything less than _Alpha Hale_?!

“Don’t piss him off,” he hears Jackson say. “Derek, it’s me. Come to the manor.”

He shares a look with the rest of the group before he leaves the tent. The rest of the army quickly looks away and Derek wonders if any werewolf knows the definition of subtle. He rolls his eyes before looking up to see the sun is beginning its descent in the sky. The days up here are shorter than they in the capital.

When he gets closer to the manor he sees Danny and Jackson hanging out of the back windows. It’s just a feeling, but Derek thinks it’s in the opposite direction of Stiles’ library but he had no way of confirming. There’s a voice in the back of his head screaming the reason Derek can feel Stiles’ location, but he ignores it in favor of staring at where Danny is caging Jackson against the window sill.

Jackson wiggles out of Danny’s grip before he saunters away. Drama queen. Danny just raises an eyebrow at Derek. “I’m waiting for an apology,” the man says around a sigh.

Derek hears Jackson laugh once before someone shushes him. The alpha exhales loudly then glares at his companions. Boyd gets it and lifts Erica. She claws his arm and demands to be put down immediately but the bigger wolf is already walking away. Cora just huffs, grabs her beta and walks back to the army.

Danny folds his arms and leans out the window just a little bit more. He’s still within the protective circle, but the action causes Derek to scowl. The gardener is enjoying this too much.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles out the side of his mouth.

“Sorry for what?” Danny asks and there’s a hard glint in his eyes.

Derek inhales and exhales once. “I’m sorry I hurt the people of this village.” He makes sure to say it loud and clear.

There’s a pause and Danny just shakes his head. Derek has the feeling that he failed whatever test that was. Danny runs a hand through his short brown hair before speaking. “I’ll get Stiles and Lydia to hold a meeting outside tomorrow.”

He stands and stretches and Derek can smell fruit and sugar. Whatever the village has stored for emergency supplies, they’ve started to use it. Danny turns to walk away but stops suddenly. “Stiles will only give you one more chance. Don’t fuck it up,” Danny says before walking away.

Derek nods to the empty window and walks back to the encampment. He has a lot of planning to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is literally going to be the death of me. But we're almost done! I had to add a chapter for a better flow. but ALMOST DONE!!!


	11. Chapter 11

“I want his arm,” Lydia says once Derek and Cora settle into the chairs placed outside the mountain ash circle. The large oak table is half out of the circle, half in with chairs for Lydia and Stiles to sit inside the protective fence. Danny and Allison are standing behind Lydia and Stiles, respectively, and Derek came with just Cora and Scott. He’s hoping Scott’s innate adorableness will make the humans lenient.

Derek thinks the set-up is a little ridiculous, but it’s clear that while the citizens of Beacon don’t trust the wolves they are willing to try and make peace. It’s hard to believe that just three days ago Derek had planned on burning the settlement to the ground. But he sighs in relief. If the only thing Beacon wants is Derek’s service, he’ll gladly accept. 

He looks at Cora and gives a slight nod; she is the Alpha of the entire army acting in Laura’s place and for official reasons, it’s best for her to accept to quell any questions from the capitol and the wolves back at camp that still want to battle. Cora had to Alpha Command Peter to take his betas and leave. Something Derek is grateful for, even if he won’t say.

She keeps her face perfectly blank, but Derek can hear heart relaxing. After yesterday, they both had been worry peace would be impossible. “We accept the demand,” Cora says. “What are the terms?”

Lydia smirks and Derek suppresses a shiver. The woman may not be a wolf, but it’s clear that she is a predator. She leans down, never breaking eye contact with Derek and heaves something metallic and bulky onto the table. Derek hears Cora gasp and Stiles sputtering but Derek refuses to look away from Lydia. He’s certain that whatever’s on the table is meant to insult him and he won’t lose this battle. 

“Lydia!” Stiles near shouts and starts to move the object only to have Lydia smack his hand away. Derek can feel Scott shift into his beta form, knows Cora is holding her wolf back. He hears Allison notch an arrow and someone unsheathes a sword but Derek refuses to budge. He’s a master of self-control and won’t be bested by this mage.

He’s about to snarl when a loud crack echoes around the table. It causes both Lydia and Derek to snap their attention to the middle of the table. Derek barely registers that Stiles had literally just slammed his hand down when he sees the saw. It’s a seven inch, solid iron weapon with rusty jagged teeth along the underbelly. The first tooth is a couple inches longer than the others and Derek realizes that it’s a hook. This saw isn’t used for building. No, it’s a hunting saw designed to bring down large game. Derek glances at Lydia and she smiles large and bright at him. It’s as much as a challenge as if she had roared in his face.

Derek has to visible fight to stop his wolf from showing. He grips the side of the table, claws splintering the wood and cutting into his flesh. His leather armor feels tight and he doesn’t have to look to know his chest has puffed out in aggression. Before he can say something, Stiles grabs Lydia and turns them so their shoulders act as barriers against the werewolves. “Lydia, what the hell,” Stiles whispers. “We are not cutting off his arm!”

“Stiles,” She responds like that explains her actions. And maybe it does because Stiles lets go of her and she stands. Allison walks over and hugs the shorter woman. The pair turns and Allison drops a rolled up parchment in front of Cora. Lydia directly at Derek.

“You want peace?” She says it more like a command than a question. “Follow everything on that list and you’ll have no trouble from Beacon.”

She takes one step away, signaling this peace is over but turns back in a calculated move. She grabs the saw by the handle and deftly swings it up to her face, as if to examine it. “And Derek,” she says caressing the hook. “You’d be wise to remember that the proper way to use this is to shove the hook in your prey’s eye. Then you saw the skull until the brain is visible enough to puncture. I’m sure it’s very painful.”

She walks away and Derek can feel his heart breaking crazily. For the first time in his life, he’s certain that’s one fight he has no hope of winning. He looks at Stiles, hoping the lordling has something to say but the human looks broken.

He stands and addresses both alphas. “She’s right. The saw is painful.”

His shoulders slump and he pushes the parchment towards Cora and walks away. Derek can smell the misery and he wants to howl in sadness. He doesn’t know what went wrong, but he knows they failed.

Once Danny is the only human still outside the manor, he claps. “Just follow the treaty,” He looks hopeful and Derek realizes that no matter, this was always going to be the outcome. Danny walks away and Cora unravels the paper. 

The demands are listed in neat, little swirls and when Derek reads the first line, he heads back to Boyd and Erica.

_Demand 1: To ensure peace, the Hale army must leave Beacon ground immediately, leaving behind a team of representatives, consisting of Beta Jackson and an Alpha of your choice. Not Derek._

_Demand 2: The Hale army…._


	12. Chapter 12

****

One Year Later

Derek wants to puke. He hasn’t eaten a full meal since they left the capitol two days ago. It doesn’t help that Scott and Isaac are literally vibrating with energy and smell so strongly of sex that Derek feels like he’s the one having sex. An activity he hasn’t done since leaving Beacon. He’s not ‘saving himself’ despite what Erica says. Derek exhales and not for the first time wishes the she-wolf joined them on their trek.

But she and Boyd elected to stay behind to prevent stress on her pregnancy. Apparently, all that lying to Stiles had made the pair really consider starting a family, and now that the war is over, they’ve started working on that dream. Derek wouldn’t be surprised if Boyd or Erica petitioned for Alpha-hood in the coming years. It would be a tough battle, but he thinks whatever beta tries would win.

Derek looks over to where Scott and Isaac are leaning into each other and whispering about what they hope for tomorrow. He can’t stop himself from thinking about how his pack has changed and how smaller it’s gotten. With Jackson staying in Beacon and Erica and Boyd growing into their adulthood, Derek can’t deny that his pack is different now. He knows how he wants his pack to grow, but it’ll be a challenge.

Derek shakes he’s head of pointless thoughts. He’s a Hale and Hales don’t run from fights. He looks up to see that they’ve reached their destination. He’s not surprised to see a swarm of weres and humans forming long lines outside the city limits. 

When they reach the metal gate, Allison smiles wide and large at the trio. “Alpha Hale, Betas Scott, Isaac,” she says with a little head nod. “We weren’t sure if you were going to come or not.” Her smile wanes a bit as she finishes.

Derek wants to reassure her that he wouldn’t miss the First Annual Peace Festival and Wildland Hunt but he wasn’t sure he would join Scott and Isaac until he received Lydia’s letter earlier in the week. While his betas have kept a steady stream of correspondence with various residents of Beacon, Derek hadn’t heard from anyone except Jackson this past year.

He wanted to blame the massager-hawk system the Hale Empire had installed as part of the treaty demands, yet her simple request proved his initial fears correct; he was being ignored. He tries to smile at Allison to cover for the awkward moment, but Scott jumps in instead.

“Are you kidding,” the young wolf says. “We wouldn’t have missed this! Danny said the ipomoea crops have been blooming and that there should be more than enough for everyone to try some.”

Scott grins like eating flower-sap is the best dish he’s had while Derek fights his grimace. The fire had destroyed nearly all of the greenhouses and what didn’t burn had been badly trampled. After a permanent road had been built, many of the Hale castle gardeners had made the journey to help plant the fragile flora. 

Allison doesn’t seem to notice his internal fight. That or she lets him keep his dignity. “Well,” she claps once and hands Isaac some of the traditional flower crowns. “Here are your crowns. After you check in with Lydia, Jackson will show you where you’ll be staying for your visit.”

It’s not an outright dismissal and Derek can feel more visitors arriving, but it riles his wolf nonetheless. This is not how he imagined his return to Beacon going. Derek grabs a wreath from Isaac and walks into the city limits only to be stopped by Lydia, wearing a soft pink dress that matches her hair. She’s not wearing one of the crowns and for a moment Derek is glad. He doesn’t want to be the only person without a crown and a simple glance confirms that Beacon had enough flower petals for thousands of visitors. 

“Derek Hale,” she says slipping her arm into his as if Derek were escorting her. She guides them to Jackson only to walk past the beta without a second glance. Derek turns his head to see Scott and Isaac hugging his lost beta before Danny leads them away. He wants to say something but he isn’t worried. At least not yet.

He sees the manor and realizes Lydia is leading him to the house. She’s waving at some of the attendees, wolves Derek doesn’t know, humans avoiding making eye contact. As they reach the door she steps outside his arm and looks at him. “He won’t leave his library,” her eyes fall to slits and she raises her chin slightly. It’s said like a general statement but Derek is soldier and he knows a command when he hears it.

Lydia searches his face and finding the answer to whatever questions she has, she says, “Don’t apologize, that’ll only make him angrier. He’ll listen to you, he doesn’t miss the idea of you. He misses you.”

She pats his arm once before disappearing into the crowd. Derek could chase her, wants to corner her and demand answers but he isn’t stupid and he knows that this has to happen. It’s either now or never and Hales don’t run from fights.

Derek doesn’t even try to navigate the hallways of the manor. Instead he takes a large gulp of air and follows the scent of old paper and worried peacefulness all libraries have. When he was younger, he tried to reason the scent as something that happens when stressed people distract themselves with books. It wasn’t until the fire that killed his family did he realize that libraries smell that way because it’s where people go to hide and calm their bodies when their minds won’t stop. It’s the same reason why fighting arenas have that same undercurrent.

He’s surprised to find the door to the secret library missing. 

“Yeah,” a light voice says to his left. “Lydia had Jackson rip it off months ago.”

Derek turns towards the voice to find Stiles sitting on one of the tables, legs on the seat, facing away from the large windows and presumable the large crowd of visitors. His hair is longer than before, almost to the point of being shaggy. He’s wearing a black tunic that’s a little too loose, showing off strong arms and calves and two flower crowns. He’s as breathe-taking as Derek had feared.

The wolf nods, hoping Stiles will fill his silence.

“I want to hate you,” Stiles says. “And it kills me, but I understand why.”

Derek feels his heart slow down at the words. He spent the last year working on himself, fighting other wolves, trying to mend the problems the war created. He knows he needs to talk, but he can’t find the words.

Stiles looks away but not out the window. “You’re going to have to do all the talking this time.” He makes eye contact. “I need to know if I can trust you.”

The statement spurs Derek and he says quickly, “I stopped the slavery.”

“Never should have happened,” Stiles retorts instantly.

A silence falls on the pair and Derek knows he doesn’t have a defense. “No, it shouldn’t have. I didn’t suggest it, but I didn’t stop it either. I just let it happen.”

Derek hears someone laughing, bright and loud and he wishes he knew how to be like that. How to get to that stage where laugh comes easy and free. “I can leave,” he says, palms raised in a slight sign of submission. It’s not what he wants but he has no idea what to do.

Stiles laughs once, an empty sound and runs a hand through his hair. “No stay, don’t ever leave,” he says with a twist of his lips. He slips off the table and walks to Derek. He stops within arm reach and Derek just wants to hold him. He suppresses the urge and stands a little straighter. “Seriously, stay. I think Lydia will kill me if you leave,” Stiles says around a smile this time. It’s small but not it seems real.

Derek nods and waits. Stiles motions towards the door and Derek takes the hint. He leaves but hears Stiles walking behind him. When they reach the front of the manor, Derek is surprised to find Scott and Isaac lean on each other while Jackson, Danny and Lydia stare at him expectantly. He turns to face Stiles and the teen has a shit-eating grin engulfing his face completely. Stiles takes off one of his flower crowns and hands Derek something black and silky. When it unravels, Derek realizes it’s a tunic similar to Stiles. He doesn’t understand what this all means and it must show on his face because Stiles cackles deep and bright.

“Guest of honors wear black and stay in the manor,” the lord says once he stops laughing. Stiles walks off into the crowd, talking to someone before Derek can’t see him anymore.

The alpha turns back to the group to find Lydia and Jackson smirking while Isaac and Scott visibly fight laughter. Danny takes pity on Derek and explains. “This year, we’re hosting a play,” the man say “ _The Mage and the Big Bad Wolf_. Stiles wrote it.”

Derek feels his stomach drop and Scott bursts out laughing. Lydia’s smirks grows. “Don’t worry,” she says and Derek senses a trap. “You don’t have to do much.”

She takes Danny by the hand and turns to leave. She’s half way out the door when she stops and looks over her right shoulder, red hair framing her face almost supernaturally. “Besides, it ends like all good fairy tales do,” her eyes sparkle. “With a kiss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnddddd it's done. I'm the worst, this final chapter took way to long to be published. You guys are amazing for staying with me. Next time, I going to finish a piece before I post any of it. haha


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